South Carolina State House in Columbia
A new law in South Carolina will require agencies that provide nonmedical in-home care services to obtain licenses.
The law, which Governor Nikki Haley (R) signed in May, is scheduled to take effect next year, after officials in the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Protection finish designing the licensing process.
That process will include standardized minimum training requirements for home care workers, as well as criminal background checks and drug testing.
State Representative Jenny Anderson Horne (R), who introduced the bill that became law, told the Charleston Post and Courier that the background-check requirement will protect seniors and people with disabilities from abuse and theft.
With the passage of the law, South Carolina became the 29th state to require nonmedical home care companies to be licensed. (Two other states, California and Hawaii, are considering legislation that would require licensing.)
“Despite the recession, senior care/home care is a booming multi-billion dollar business, yet the provision of nonmedical services tends to be dominated by small ‘mom and pop’ agencies, often franchise-based,” said PHI Director of Policy Research Dorie Seavey.
“South Carolina’s new law is part of a trend across the country to provide greater regulation for this fast-growing business sector,” Seavey continued. “When nonmedical care providers are not regulated by the state, their rates and quality of service can vary greatly.”
– by Matthew Ozga
